#love lies and cryptids

[ml-nolan]

Hello! I'm M.L. Nolan, aka., The_Kickit_Domain on AO3, and this is my masterpost!

First, I have an M/NB contemporary romcom book out called Love, Lies, and Cryptids.

One minute, Nico Juárez is enjoying the stability of their job as senior editor at Unified Theory Press, a publishing house specializing in books about the paranormal. The next minute, they're stuck with a terrible new boss and a clueless (yet uncomfortably cute) new assistant. Jasper Milton just wanted healthcare and to keep his sexy side-hustle a secret. Now he's faced with an adorable, yet prickly, supervisor and a company thrown into chaos. Nico and Jasper must team up to stay sane. Hopefully, they won't fall in love—or be squashed by Bigfoot—in the process.

You can get it on...

Amazon.com

Bookshop.org

Barnes & Noble

Your local bookstore if you request it! The ISBN is: 9798988338604

More fics and original work below...

(lovely Martin Blackwood artwork by @hihereami)

The Magnus Archives fics:

My biggest series is the Love & Nonsense AU, which is a book publishing/bookshop AU with, as of today, over 250k words, two and a half long fics (the half is WIP), and several shorter fics both smutty and not smutty.

We've got one good solid JMart longfic, Love & Nonsense at Leitner Press, and lots and lots of TimGerry, including Hiding in Plain Sight.

The Sandman fics

These are mostly Dreamling fics, though there is a Gaulcienne fic I'm particularly proud of and a Johazikeen as well.

At the moment, my most popular Sandman fic is Music When You Speak, a human AU, where Dream is lead guitarist for The Endless and Hob owns a record store. There are also lots of podfics, smutty one-shots, and Tumblr ficlets.

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There's also literally just this one Malevolent fic, but that may change. 😉😉😉😉😉

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Aaaaand more original fiction, subscription edition!

Someone to Build Me Up

A weekly MM serial on Ream and Patreon for $5/month patrons, and on Kindle Vella using their token system. (Psp psp psp, Sandman fan friends, this is very Dreamling coded.)

Reeling from a breakup, English professor Zack Carter is trying to pull himself together for his sister's wedding. His recovery includes hiring sexy, snarky, and multi-talented Marcus Berens as his personal trainer. When Zack finds out his ex has chosen his former bully as her wedding date, Marcus agrees to play the role of Zack's boyfriend. But despite a shared love of theater, neither of them are good at pretending their feelings are just an act.

You're the Most

The second book after Love, Lies, and Cryptids, posted in serial form every other week (for now!) on Patreon and Ream for $10/month patrons. (Tim/Gerry lovers, this one's for you. 😉😉😉)

Andie Silvana is stretched as thin as they can get running Blossom & Crow—a goth bookstore and community hub—all by themself. Fresh from rage-quitting his job, Evan Brooks, fears falling back into a life he doesn’t want before he figures out what he does. Both notorious flirts, the two come together like an electrical storm. But what starts out as a little steamy fun may turn into exactly what they need.

Please enjoy! I enjoy good-natured yelling, so don't be shy about saying hello!

Lastly, you can sign up for my mailing list as well for the latest original fiction updates. Thank you!

#ml nolan #the magnus archives fanfic #the sandman fanfic #ml nolan masterpost #m/nb romance #romance books #serialized romance #dreamling #gaulcinne #jonmartin #timgerry #love lies and cryptids #gay romance fiction #lgbtq+ romance

[chaosclimber]

So I'm reading Love, Lies, and Cryptids by @ml-nolan

1) it's spectacularly entertaining queer romance, please absolutely read it

But, more importantly,

2) it's patient 0 for spunkelcouchen.

For those who aren't aware, Kick and I are involved in a small, Dreamling focused server. One of the other server members was one of Kick's first editors/betas for the book. And they're the one who really started the spunkelcouchen tag on AO3.

I only realized this when the phrase "a multicolored green couch upholstered with worn corduroy" slapped me in the face, and I immediately went to Kick.

Who hadn't even realized they'd written spunkelcouchen.

Oh, the things you learn

#ml-nolan #love lies and cryptids #romance #queer romance #book reccs #spunkelcouchen #THE OG spunkelcouchen

[tryan-a-bex]

“Jesus, how are you so funny?”

“It’s mostly by accident,” Nico said.

Most relatable part of Love, Lies and Cryptids by @ml-nolan. Highly recommended! Available here: https://mybook.to/love-lies-cryptids

#love lies and cryptids #ml nolan #nonbinary #love story #so much good stuff #on my second read #needed a copy for my shelf #it’s so good

[evermorethecrow]

ok i KNOW this is an ASK crychuu event but can i offer him blanket fort in a tree? would he like blanket fort in a tree? i promise theres snacks

He'd enjoy that

#he is not innocent dont belive his lies #bsd #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #chuuya #bungo stray dogs manga #bsd art #chuuyabsd #i love him #my corrupt art #chuuya bsd #crychu asks #cryptid chuuya au #cryptid chuuya

[adreamfromnevermore]

Headcanon that the Bats must be the most infuriating members of the justice league. And it's got nothing to do with what they do or don't know or even their general skills and egos. Everyone is very used to Batman and the expectation that him and any of his spawn are somehow going to be three steps ahead of any issue they bring to the table ever.

No no, the infuriating bit? The stalking.

Listen, this is a family of freaks and weirdos. They work so well together because none of them were normal to start with and then they ended up traumatized. It's practically common practice in that family to accept that nothing is what it seems at face value and that all of your siblings are attempting to pry into your private life and cases at any given moment. I think for them it's honestly weirder if you take what they say at face value. They speak a language holy separate from any normally socialized person and it is a language of lies and half-truths that relies on the assumption that all parties are aware of that.

They're the most infuriating bitches around.

They'll tell someone something and appear to do the opposite and when confronted will have the most convoluted but sound reasoning of why they actually did exactly as they promised too.

They regularly pick people's pockets and hack into personal information because for them? That's practically a love language. They're obnoxious and they aren't even aware of it. Someone asks them to just tell the truth and they react like they've been shot. They're probably offended when they realize that someone hasn't been at least attempting to dig into them back, like come on man. I thought we were friends but you didn't even Google how long Nightwings been around? We've already put the bar on the floor for you guys? My siblings already have a full dossier ready on you because they caught us on camera in your home city during that 2 minute conversation we had 3 months ago. They sent it to me a few hours later. I think they got Oracle to help cause usually it takes them at least 12 hours.

You think they're being nice and friendly and then you realize that they have a nice little file compiled of everything you've done in the last five years, where you went to school and every note your teachers ever made about your behavior a decade ago when you were still a high schooler and fairly normal. If asked they'd probably be willing to bring out the family tree they built for you. They know what you did last summer better than you know what you did last summer. They have pictures, pictures that should be impossible because there's no way they were stalking you then and those sure don't look like security camera footage.

In reality Bats and Superman get along so well because that man is an investigative journalist and when they first met he could not leave it alone. Bruce was charmed the first time Clark Kent started doggedly attempting to ask him if he knew anything about Gothams new cryptid. It was cute how off base he was. But he was trying!!!! Bruce was sold for life! He dropped an dossier on lexcorp off in Clarks apartment a few days later. As a gift.

#listen Bruce probably made it a training exercise #whoever can name the most heroes by the end of the week #(first and last) #gets bragging rights and a joy ride in the batmobile #batman #dc #bruce wayne #batfamily #clark kent #superman #justice league #robin #tim drake #dick grayson #nightwing #red robin #damian wayne #spoiler #stephanie brown #duke thomas #signal

[occudo]

Don't mind me, just making a fake cover for one of my favorite fic of all time

For those who got introduced to the timgerry ship because of my fanarts-I see you in the tags, you are welcome- let me show you who got me there: @ml-nolan or The_KickIt_Domain and their amazing fic: Hiding in Plain Sight (It is rated explicit, I warned you) It's a sequel to another fic, Love and Nonsense which is also very very good, and if I'm already putting links- they turned it into a full novel(!) Love, Lies, and Cryptids So yeah, thank or blame them for my gooftroop fixation if you want.

#occudo's art #tma fanart #tim stoker #gerry keay #timgerry #goof troop #fic rec #I wanted to make a cover for this like forever #still not sure if it works #but #making a faceless modern book cover is harder than I thought #anyway I hope you like it

[alyakthedorklord]

*cracks knuckles*

So you know those fics/ideas where the batfam pretends to be winged cryptids (“loading and aspect ratio” by JUBE514 is beautiful, as is the series “f’ing demon bats” by KingJai) completly inhuman, entirely different, unknown species?

People start trying to like, study/classify them, along with other metas and species that are emerging. (Atlanteans, alien species, ext.) At first, they think the bats and the birds are different species, deciding to co-habitate, because- duh. Bats are mammals. Birds are birds. But then, why do they all have the same whistle chitter language? The same claws, fangs, cape-like base to thier wings? All the babies call Batman dad, what if its really a bloodline family? But if thats the case, then why are they so different?

The answer lies in the batgirls.

The bat… GIRLS.

Black bat, batgirl (all 3 of them), batwoman, all are female. The robins, nightwing, red hood, are all male.

The feathered members of the family are SHOWIER. They’re stealthy, sure, but they’re dramatic, using their brighter colors and their words to draw attention to themselves. Even red robin, the drabbest and most silent of the bunch, will get into loud debates with riddler and such. Clearly, these are displays to attract a mate. Just look at nightwing.

The leather-winged members, on the other hand, are quieter, talking less often, sticking more to the shadows and silent+violent takedowns. Black Bat almost never speaks. Oracle is never even seen. Spoiler is louder and more brightly colored, but who is Gotham to enforce gender roles onto their cryptid? They’re noticing trends.

But then… where does batman fit into this? His coloration is the closest to black bat. His fighting style fits in the shadows, not as flashy as other males of his species, so what gives? Is this theory just a theory?

No, of course not. The answer is obvious. Batman is trans.

Trans Cryptid Batman.

Idk how Duke fits into this give him a bird theme or smth.

BONUS POINTS if Alfred (grandpa gotham cryptid) is “revealed” to have lovely white feathered wings. Its meant to be a play on how he’s an angel looking out for them (an angel for putting up with them) but it kickstarts the whole thing.

(EDIT: more bonus points if Bruce is either A: Actually trans or B: Bryce trying to avoid sexism, and cannot for their AFAB life figure out how they got clocked as biologically female)

#cryptid batman #batfam #wing fic #misconceptions #batman #dc prompt

[cheemscakecat]

If Emesis Blue really is a Dream, I love the fact that BLU Medic sees RED the way he does.

Think about it, BLU Medic is a Catholic who knows he’s mentally ill and is trying his best to keep it under control. RED Medic is a megalomaniac who likes the challenge of playing god and made a deal with the devil.

And beyond that, BLU has other personalities that he doesn’t understand [who freak him out] and hallucinates them from time to time.

That’s the actual reason he didn’t attack RED immediately, he thought it was one of them from afar. It has to be trippy and difficult to deal with that guy IRL in battle with the personality issue.

And even if BLU doesn’t know it, if he thinks his other personalities are demons or something, they still act like people. Angry, revengeful people, but not monsters. This picture is such a good representation of the difference between the two. RED is feral and messing with powers he shouldn’t…. For fun. Fixing respawn failures is not “for fun” it’s meant to save mercenary lives. So RED would be Monstrous.

He’s still red hued even in this blue room, skin and hair too, like a demon. And given he joined Classic team in hunting his own crew and BLU mercs, it makes sense that he’s literally two-faced.

Something else that’s interesting is that BLU Medic’s eyes are only ever black/brown as the funeral version, and he has hallucinations that make that personality look demonic.

But again, funeral Medic acts like a human person that’s 100% done with BLU Corp and their lies, not a cryptid. He’s not actually evil like Ludwig thinks.

But RED Medic is criminally insane in ways that transcend other Gravel War mercs, and that’s disturbing to someone like BLU.

O no he crumchy

He just put Scout’s body in a coffin as respectfully as he could given the circumstances. RED Medic brought their team’s sniper back to life and there’s no way BLU hasn’t heard about it post-comics. He didn’t want RED touching Scout, even if it could bring him back. He doesn’t trust that maniac, and that’s 100% valid. Why?

BLU team doesn’t know RED personally. What they’re like at their base, living with each other. They don’t know that RED Medic was infiltrating Classic, not truly joining them. They don’t know what he was doing in the early 40s or how close he is with RED Heavy. And here’s the proof:

BLU Medic doesn’t know that this is BLU Heavy; he knows that he’s at RED base, and wouldn’t have a reason to believe that this isn’t RED Heavy. Especially after what happened to Scout. So from his perspective, RED finally pushed nature too far and it blew up in his face. Resulting in RED Heavy loosing his mind and attacking.

That’s also why he hesitates to run away from the big Hoovy; he might be in hearty agreement with defeating RED Medic and leave BLU alone. But that’s not the case, and so the context changes from “this guy no longer serves RED” to “this guy has lost the plot altogether, he’s just attacking anybody’.

We, the tf2 fans know that this isn’t how RED Heavy acts; he actually didn’t question Medic’s loyalty in comic 6 and was ride or die, so if anything he’d still be docile to RED. But nobody on BLU team knows that.

And BLU’s doctor believes that something terrible will happen to RED if he doesn’t stop messing with the powers that be, even though he has no idea about the demonic deal.

#tf2 #emesis blue #character analysis #tf2 medic #tf2 heavy #Honestly BLU team would have no idea that RED team has their chill moments #I mean RED Medic stole their Spy’s living head and kept him from respawning for at least a few days. #Same reason RED Sniper is so creepy in this movie. He got brought back irl

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: alien intelligences

Intelligent spiders, octupi, plants, bacteria, and even entire oceans, intelligence without sentience, extra terrestrials and strange intelligences evolved right here on Earth - alien minds can take many forms. Allow me to share with you some books featuring the most alien and fascinating ones.

Previous book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding, really cool sci-fi worldbuilding, dark sapphic romances, mermaid books, vampire books, many worlds: portal fantasies, many worlds: alternate timelines, robots and artificial intelligences, post- and transhumanism

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

The Doors of Eden is something of an experiment in speculative biology, featuring versions of Earth in which various different species were the one to rise to sentience, from dinosaurs to neanderthals. Now, something is threatening the existence of all timelines, dragging multiple different people and species into the struggle, among those a pair of cryptid hunting girlfriends and a transgender scientist.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

Millenia and generation spanning scifi. After the collapse of an empire, a planet once part of a project to uplift other species to sentience is left to develop on its own, resulting not in the intelligent monkeys once intended but in sentient giant spiders. Millenia later, what remains of humanity arrives looking for a new home, only to be met by the artificial remains of the ancient woman who once led the uplift project - and she is not willing to let them on her planet.

Semiosis (Semiosis duology) by Sue Burke

A generational story following a group of humans trying to survive on a new planet, where a strange and unkowable intelligence is finding ways to use them to its whims. As the humans come across an abandoned city wrapped in the roots of a strange plant, they slowly come to the realization that mutual communication is the only path to peace and survival.

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

While I felt the characters could’ve been better developed, this is undeniably a well-written novel featuring an alien race and culture developed on a planet vastly different from ours. Firmly in the realm of hard scifi, this is a realistic, fascinating and slightly terrifying look at how first contact may look.

Brain Plague (The Elysium Cycle) by Joan Sloncewski*

Chrys, a struggling artist, agrees to become a carrier for a sentient strain of microbes. With their help, Chrys breathes new life into her career. But every microbe society is different - some function as friends and brain enhancers to their carrier, while others become a literal brain plague, a living addiction taking over the life of their carrier. And like every society, the microbe community is in constant flux - inluding the one inside Chrys's head.

Rosewater (The Wormwood trilogy) by Tade Thompson

In Nigeria lies Rosewater, a city bordering on a strange, alien biodome. Its motives are unknown, but it’s having an undeniable effect on the surrounding life. Kaaro, former criminal and current psychic agent for the government, is one of the people changed by it. When other psychics like him begin getting killed, Kaaro must take it upon himself to find out the truth about the biodome and its intentions.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on.

Blindsight by Peter Watts*

Vampires and aliens and questions of the nature of consciousnesses, oh my. A ship is sent to investigate the sudden appearance of an alien vessel at the edge of the solar system, but the crew, a group of various level of transhumanism, isn’t prepared for the horrors awaiting them. No, seriously, this book will fuck you up, highly recommend if you’re okay with a lot of techno babble and existential horror.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in world-building, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he’s exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Fragment (Fragment duology) by Warren Fahy*

The reality TV show Sealife is having a rough time - as it turns out, a ship full of scientist doesn’t make for the kind of drama they hoped for. Hoping for some excitement, they reach Hender's Island, a fragment of a lost continent that may contain an interesting new ecosystem. But as they step foot on the island, they quickly come to realize the ecosystem isn’t just new, it’s highly dangerous and very hungry. Among all this life is one single species that may be more dangerous than any other, but which may also be the salvation of the scientists on the island. A bit wonky, but genuinely one of the most fun books I have read, I love it so much.

Axiom's End (Noumena trilogy) by Lindsay Ellis

It’s 2007, and a leak has just confirmed that the US has reached alien contact. Cora wants nothing to do with it, but as her absent father is the whistleblower who dropped the news the media won’t leave her alone. Even worse, she soon finds herself meeting and being pursued by the alien presence itself as it tries to remain in hiding - and discovering that there is a much larger threat on the horizon.

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis*

Francie has just traveled to Roswell to attend her college friend's wedding to a UFO conspirasist. Not a believer herself, Francie is shocked when she finds herself abducted by an alien. Her abductor is not much what popular media would have you believe, looking more like a tumbleweed than a grey alien, and is clearly on some kind of mission it isn’t willing to put on hold for the sake of Francie attending to her duties as a bridesmaid. As more people get roped along - among those a conman, an old lady, a ufo conspirasist, and a retiree with an RV - Francie finds herself getting closer to the alien and wanting to help it succeed.

Bonus rec: if you like this book, you may also enjoy the movie Paul, which has a similarly humorous tone and similar plot.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir*

Ryland Grace just woke up up from a coma, unable to remember anything. He finds himself alone on a space ship, and as his memories slowly trickle back, he realizes he's been sent on a mission: to find a solution to the impending doom of the earth. Still struggling with holes in his memories, Ryland tries to fulfill his mission, but as he gets closer to his goal, he discovers someone else got there first. And they aren't anything close to human. Funny, heartfelt, and heavy on the science.

Survival by Julie E. Czerneda

Mac, a biologist studying salmon on Earth, has little interest in life beyond her own planet. Despite this, she’s sought out by Brymn, an alien archaeologist hoping her expertise as a biologist can help him solve the secret behind the Chasm, a region of space completely devoid of life. Trying as she might not to get incolved, Mac has little choice as she and her colleagues come under attack by the mysterious Ro, the species Brymn's people suspect to be the cause of the Chasm.

Translation State by Ann Leckie*

An exploration of the alien as filtered through the human. At what point does the human become something else? When does something else become human? Is it a question of biology or culture, nature or nurture? Can we choose it? Can it be forced upon us? Set in the Imperial Radch universe, Translation State follows three different characters embroiled in the question of what makes a human. The alien Presger can only communicate with humans using their translators - people they’ve created that are not quite human and not quite alien. But as news of a translator fugitive arises, conflict brews regarding what right they have to choose their own identity and home.

Exo (Exo duology) by Fonda Lee*

Young adult. Earth has long since been under the control of an alien presence. Donovan Reyes is an exo, a human enhanced with alien technology, working to keep the colony and its people safe. The biggest enemy is Sapience, a terrorist organisation opposing alien rule by any means necessary. When a mission goes awry, Donovan finds himself abducted by Sapiance, something that risks a war. While it took until the second book for me to be fully sold on this series, it features a genuinely nuanced take on oppression and resistance rarely seen in YA genre.

Needle by Hal Clement

1950s classic. A small island in the pacific ocean and a fourteen-year-old boy have just become the center of an interstellar chase between an alien Hunter and the criminal he's pursuing. Robert is a regular boy, but he has a very special passenger: an alien symbiont hiding inside his body. The alien became stranded on Earth as he pursued a criminal of his own species, and now they are both trapped on the same island, playing a game of cat and mouse as Robert and the Hunter struggle to find their prey before it finds them.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers series) by Becky Chambers

Rosemary Harper just got a job on the motley crew of the Wayfarer, a spaceship that works with tunneling new wormholes through space. With a past she wants to leave behind, Rosemary is happy to travel the far reaches of the universe with the chaotic crew, but when they land the job of a life time, things suddenly get a lot more dangerous. A bit of a tumblr classic in its day, this is a cozy space opera with an episodic feel and vividly realized characters and cultures.

Under the Skin by Michel Faber

A dark allegory of alienation and dehumanization, Under the Skin follows Isserley, a woman traveling along the roads of England and picking up hitchhikers. Little does her passengers know, she’s an alien hiding her true self, and they are her prey and a delicacy for her species.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

1960s Polish classic. Arriving on a station orbiting the planet Solaris, Kris Kelvin is meant to study the strange, possibly sentient ocean that covers its entire surface. But the effects of the ocean are far reaching - Kelvin finds the crew of the station secretive and unstable, and is shocked to wake one day to the embodiement of a long dead lover. Was it created by the brain-like ocean, and if so, why?

West of Eden (West of Eden trilogy) by Harry Harrison

65 million years ago, the meteor that killed the dinosaurs never arrived. Without it, the dinosaurs lived and thrived, allowing a the complex society of the matriarchal Yilanè to arise. Meanwhile, in the new world, humans still evolve, and when an impending ice age forces the Yilanè across the ocean in search for a new home, the two are destined to clash. A bleak story of the cycle of violence and hate leading to war, West of Eden is a marvel of world-building.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

Triptych by J.M. Frey

Kalp is a widower and alien refugee newly arrived on Earth; Gwen is a language expert secretly recruited by the United Nations to help integrate a ship of alien refugees; Basil is an engineer who loves them both. Together they must defend their relationship against a violently intolerant world.

The Sparrow (The Sparrow duology) by Mary Doria Russell

When proof of alien life is found, the United Nations are too slow in their plans for a first contact mission. Instead, the Society of Jesus overtake them and send their own ship, but the crew could never have been prepared for what they will find.

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Something massive and alien crashes into the ocean off the coast of Nigeria. Three people, a marine biologist, a rapper, and a soldier, find themselves encountering this presence, and have to race to save humanity before it's too late.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: Salvaged by Madeleine Roux, Exodus by Nicky Drayden, The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, Embassytown by China Miéville

#nella talks books #the doors of eden #children of time #semiosis #the three-body problem #brain plague #rosewater #xenogenesis #blindsight #midnight robber #fragment #axioms end #the road to roswell #project hail mary #species imperative #translation state #exo #needle #the long way to a small angry planet #under the skin #solaris #west of eden #there are more alien centric books that I love #but this list is pretty focused on books where the truly alien unkowable and inhuman is central #so anything featuring human looking or acting aliens got disqualified #same as books where the aliens themselves weren’t very central #also i need you all to know that i have had official art of the 'alien' from Fragment as my screensaver for a decade #that book is so silly goofy dialogue and absolute gory slaughter i love it so much #i still have one of these rec posts in my drafts but! will soon post a new poll in preparation for more

[ml-nolan]

The Love, Lies, and Cryptids audiobook is ALIIIIIIVE

If you'd love to hear me try to sound alternately cranky, silly, and (hopefully) kinda sexy, I've included a list of places where you can listen! And, if you have Spotify Premium, it's on there, too.

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE AT THE LINK BELOW:

Audible

Google Play

Libro.fm

Kobo/Walmart

Spotify [Included in Premium]

NOOK Audiobooks

Scribd

Chirp

Storytel

Audiobooks.com

#Love Lies and Cryptids #M.L. Nolan #Romance Audiobooks #Queer Romance #LGBT romance books #Nonbinary Main Character #Demisexual Main Character #LGBT audiobooks #Queer audiobooks #JMart coded

[genderkoolaid]

Rating Yonic Words (Very Logical and Unbiased and Scientific and Impartial)

Vagina et al. - 2/10. Hard* "g" sound is awful. Its a chewy word. Would be better with a soft "g" like in the french vagin, but even thats like, 5/10. Also way overused to describe the whole set when its only the main hole, but its also the proper clinical word for said hole. "Vag" is slightly better but carries the sin of the father (hard "g"), and va-jay-jay is a solid 0. You just doubled the worst sound here. Its the yonic Cain.

*not actually hard, my brain is just too french, but i don't think this sound deserves to be called soft. it's a chewy g. forgive me for my lies

Vulva - 10/10. Love him. "V" sounds flow so nicely. You could sing this in an opera. Also actually refers to the whole kit n caboodle. May be a little clinical for some but we can change that. We can make it horny. You can help me make it horny. Betty Dodson would want you to help me make it horny.

Pussy - 7/10. Gets some points for being a classic, and its decent sounding. But the "s" sounds aren't the best, especially alongside the "p" sound. Its just a little too harsh and kind of juvenile. Good for a laff.

Punani et al. - 2 to 7/10. Gets cool points for being a descendant of the Akan language through Jamaican creole. Gets a range of points because I'm grouping poontang (bad word to say and hear) in with punani (a clear 7)

Labia - 10/10. Vulva's lovely twin. Another word you could sing. The "b" sound isn't offputting- it flows nicely between the elegant "L" and "ia." Again, a bit clinical, but so good to say. Labia (the word and the body part) deserve more love.

Fanny - 0/10. Pussy's worse sounding cousin. Replacing the "s" sounds with "n" removes the flow of pussy, which makes this the yonic-linguistic equivalent of going down a dry waterslide.

Cunt - 10/10. Its like a punch in a good way. Not too harsh, but makes its point clearly; a well-rounded sound. Can be comedic and horny but its not too unserious. Good mouthfeel. I'm a big cunt fan. Can also be an insult, but such is the way of sex organs. Such a versatile word.

Coochie - 4/10. Sorry to the coochie lovers out there but my god? The "ch" sound? Awful to hear. Get that out of my genitalia. Gets points for comedic use, which I respect.

Twat - 2/10. Sounds like the sound made when Batman decks some guy in the face. The "t" sounds here are just unpleasant, and when combined with "æ" it gets worse. Sorry Brits & co. </3

Clitoris / Clit - 9/10. Important organ we all know and love. Both long & short versions sound good, although I think it could be smoother. Way better clinical term than vagina, but I wish we had wider options for him.

Snatch - 3/10. I'm not a fan of the sounds at play here (once again, get "ch" out of here), but I find this word really funny. I cannot imagine this being used hornily. It sounds like the name of a delightful cryptid.

Quim - 4/10. What are you, from the 1700s? I think it sounds alright, the "q" isn't abrasive, but unless you are writing historical fiction it just doesn't sound right.

Any and All Metaphorical Words - 1/10. Never work outside of extremely horny contexts or jokes. Gets one point for extremely horny contexts and jokes.

#this post brought to you by a conversation i had with myself a few nights ago #m.

[tryan-a-bex]

Love, Lies, and Cryptids

by @ml-nolan is officially online today for sale, and I wanted to send the link to the places where you can go buy it right now because you very should, I promise you will enjoy it! I just ordered the paperback for my shelf!

https://mybook.to/love-lies-cryptids

I received a free advanced copy of the book with the request for an honest review, so here is my honest review:

Omg omg omg I love this book so much!

I think the best part for me was Nico. As a nonbinary ace type person, you don’t really see yourself in romances (ever, I’ve never read a book like this before), and it was just so good and affirming! There are people out there who love people like me! It’s a possible thing! It might look like this! I don’t have to change who I am to find love and companionship! It was done so very well. It wasn’t all about the gender and sexuality, and it was never in spite of it. It was about the developing romance and how the characters fit together, like all good romances, and then it gave some lovely modelling for how to be sensitive and loving in various situations. The prose and plot were clear and flowed well, the secondary characters were amusing and often caricatured, and the humour was tender and vivid. I laughed out loud frequently! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, and particularly to ace or nonbinary people and their allies.

—-

In case you are still not sure, this is the same author as Music When You Speak (The _KickIt_Domain), so if you love that you will love this, and if you haven’t read it then go read it and if you love it, buy Love, Lies and Cryptids.

#love lies and cryptids #ml nolan #book rec #sandman fic rec #tryana find it back

[sapphicseasapphire]

IT’S ME, I’M THE FOOL.

This whole time I’ve been saying that people with God Powers TM are Marked. They all have something on their face! (Except Legend, what’s on his face is just scales, don’t be confused).

But this WHOLE TIME I’ve been drawing Sun without her Marks. Like. She’s literally Hylia. She has God Powers, she should have them. Anyway so this is my Sun redesign for real this time. Just pretend that she looks like this in my “I am Sky” comic.

Anyway so here’s some information about her under the cut.

I don’t have a big story for her like I do for Flora because Cryptid Sky’s story barely changes Skyward Sword like at all. He’s formed that the very very end, after the Goddess’s Silent Realm, so most things involving Sun remain the same.

I will say that she didn’t always have her Marks. When she was born as Zelda, her face was clear, like every other Skyloftian. But when she fell to the Surface and began a quest of her own, when she discovered her divine origins, she started to remember. She’d pray at the springs to recover her memories and her powers, and one by one, her face would be Marked.

By the time that Link had secured all of the Sacred Flames and forged the Master Sword with them, Sun was already lost. And in her place stood a Goddess.

I don’t think that people give her enough credit for all she’s been through. Sun deserved so much better, she lost her life to Hylia’s plans just as much as Link did. And when Link merged into Sky, he was merely mimicking the transformation that his dearest friend had already gone through. Sun’s soul is still split in half, still shared between herself and her Loftwing, but in that empty part of her core lies the domineering presence of Hylia herself. Her life as she knew it is over. Is she Zelda anymore? Or is she Hylia?

She loves Link SO MUCH. When she first comes out of their thousands-of-years long slumber, she’s in shock to see that he’s gone. She falls from the amber shards and lands squarely in Sky’s arms, and Sky envelopes her in his soft wings, holding her as if she’s the most precious thing in the world. In the haze, she doesn’t realize the change in her dearest friend. But when she opens her eyes, she’s devastated.

As far as she’s concerned, it’s her fault. She used Link. Forced him to go on this quest, forced him into the Silent Realms, forced him to wield the Master Sword and the Triforce. She’s the reason that he fused with Aepon; she’s the reason that Link is gone.

But Sky laughs the same as Link would, relief in his eyes when she gathers the strength to stand. She holds her hand in his own, and it feels just like the hand she knows. His face is the same, for the most part: his hair is different and he’s got red spots on his cheeks, but the more she looks at him, the more she sees Link. And as they make it through the Temple together, as she watches Groose fawn over him, she realizes that he’s not gone at all.

He’s changed, just like she is. But just like she’s still his Zelda, Sky is still her Link. The guilt still worms its way into her chest, but as long as Sky is smiling, she’s able to see past it.

Sky does not smile for very long, as a certain Demon Lord shows up mere moments later to ruin their happy ending. To be honest, Sun doesn’t remember much of that night. She remembers the anger in Sky’s face as his body trembled on the ground. She remembers the cold cruelty of Ghirahim’s voice against her chest as she was carried away from her Link- her Sky. She remembers feeling so weak and helpless, cursing the Goddess- cursing herself- for being so useless.

And then all she knew was pain. Blinding, burning agony that enveloped her entire being. She thought she was dying, weightless and alone and scared.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was inside the Sealed Temple. Groose held her. Sky was nowhere to be seen.

She cried into Groose’s chest, something she never would have dreamed of doing a year ago, her head still reeling from that feeling of hopelessness, that pain. All at once, she was scared and relieved and safe and in danger. And Groose held her through it.

Sky would stumble into the Temple much later, limping and bleeding and spasming. His right arm would be totally friend and his wings would drag on the ground, feathers in disarray. He’d lean away from Groose and fall into Sun’s open arms. And when it was time to return the Master Sword to her final resting place, he’d do so with a heaviness in his eyes that’s uncharacteristic and a weakness in his body that’s frightening.

Both Sun and Sky take a long time to recover from that. And really, neither of them ever do. But as Sky starts to physically heal, Sun starts to see more traces of her dear Link. Being around her closest friend and newfound lover is healing, and after the adventure they’d had, they don’t leave each other’s side for a long while.

Sun is very protective over Sky, just like she always was with Link. They exchange Loftwing feathers (Sky gives her his own). And just five days after they’re reunited, they’re separated again.

Okay okay okay. This was less about Sun and more about Sun AND Sky, but they’re pretty much inseparable I think. From Sky’s perspective, there’s a lot of confusing feelings that I’ll get into when I actually write a fic (I’m starting a fic!), but Sun just loves him so much. I have a little comic series which is actually a collection of little short stories in a much bigger plot called “I am Sky.” The short comics aren’t all finished (and they can be read as stand alones) but the order they go in is:

“I am Sky” Stories: Pipit

“I am Sky” Stories: Groose (I’m not done with it I’m sorryyyyyy)

“I am Sky” Stories: Zelda

This all takes place after the Demise battle, when Sky is healing and has the chance to sit down and reflect. When he gets the opportunity to learn about himself, the person that his two halves made him. He struggles a lot, but these specific stories have a lot of comfort. He’ll be fine. Probably.

#the legend of zelda #my art #fanart #chain as cryptids au #cryptid lore #loz skyward sword #skyward sword #sapphire rambles way too long #cac art #links meet au #cryptid sky #cryptid sun

[the-s1lly-corner]

May I request the cast of Tadc x reader, whose y/n is a mermaid? I already imagine that yn would be right in the digital lake, singing or combing her hair like Ariel-

TADC cast x mermaid!reader !

this one may be a little short since my back is already starting to get all... stiff... sobs.... might go lay down for a few minutes then come back and knock out the other request that got sent in !!

CAINE:

caine is a little perplexed as to why you stay at the lake all the time, your room does have water... though, to be fair, your room is blocked off and small. i think it would take him a while to directly interact with you but just know that every night when you sing hes listening to you... actually now that i think about it, i dont think it would take him long to make himself known, he would probably clap and applaud you after one of your personal performances... probably makes sailor jokes, because, you know, sea stuff and mermaid lore... wants to include you more in stuff so he probably does IHAs that are lake themed, or perhaps makes something sort of like a portable tank..

POMNI:

she probably mistakes you for an NPC for a moment LMAO... i was going to go with an idea that pomni would be into mythology and stuff but now that i think about it, i actually see the opposite now thats more of something i can see zooble and gangle being into... not many ideas for pomni, unfortunately, but i think she would be friendly around you for manners

RAGATHA:

she thinks your really pretty, i think... while ragatha doesnt strike me as the type to be into mythology and stuff, i think she subconsciously is attracted to you because she grew up on stories about mermaids, fairies, and princesses... sure she doesnt remember all that since shes gotten stuck in the digital world, but the instinct to be near you is still there... i think if she got caught listening to you sing she would be so embarrassed, probably tries to excuse herself unless you tell her she can stay.. having someone come by down to the lake is nice, to finally have company

JAX:

has probably snagged your comb and darted to the shore of the lake far enough so that you cant reasonably crawl out of the water and grab it back, assuming you actively need water to survive instead of mobility... but either is really mean in my opinion.. toss him into the water/j actually i dont think he can swim, jax doesnt look like the kind of person to swim.. omg omg bonding moment for when you two get closer, imagine teaching him how to (admin never learned how to swim so theyre unqualified to write this </3)

KINGER:

rarely leaves the tent but lets say he goes down to the lake one day while you happen to be out.. similar to pomni i think he would mistake you for an NPC simply because you are almost never in the tent... i think he would enjoy your singing, though, very calming and it eases him.. quietly listens and returns a few times when he sees youre out. meek apologies when hes caught, hes almost sheepish about it and admits that he should have asked before getting up in your business.. ooo i love this man

ZOOBLE:

"so like, do you drown people," just straight up, probably asks this after a day of jax being more annoying than usual... as mentioned earlier i think they would be really into mythological creatures and lore, as well as cryptids, both before and after joining the circus... sure you probably arent lore accurate to mermaid stories in the real world, but i think they would like to learn about youre whole deal.. sometimes helps you get stuff out of your hair if things get tangled up

GANGLE:

gangle is what gets tangled up in your hair^/j

no but i think she would also be very interested in your whole deal, but is less blunt about it unlike zooble... also thinks your pretty.. i think she would bring stuff down to the lake for you guys to do together, like games and drawing stuff... its nice for the both of you to be away from everyone else but still have company in someone who knows what its like to be cast to the side; be it due to shyness or being locked to a place

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #jax x reader #ragatha x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

[ihonestlycanttellyou]

All Love Locket Photos

I decided I wanted to see all the LI Locket texts and man, it took EMBARRASSINGLY long. Even with cheats.

This just the text from when you first insert the photo btw so if it changes when you look back at it, I wouldn't know. :v

(Spoilers for the update ig? Can this game even be spoiled???)

I imagine they're doing that little salute with a wink too, you know the pose.

It's totally a professional headshot too, they'd probably outright refuse to let you use a causal photo.

Ngl, I expected the monster interests to have straight up cryptid photos. Like blurry and far away but I can obviously see why that wasn't done. :p

I'm just surprised Eden either had or let PC take a photo of them.

YES! Great Hawk knows they're the prettiest bird on the block, love that!

Kylar probably has their own locket on their altar, the picture is an off-guard of PC.

Not to be all "AWWWWHHSKSJDUDJDH MY SUNFLOWER SWEETHEART BABYDOLL" but uh, that about sums it up. I'm weak for Robin. They're vanilla, sure, but I love me some ice cream.

This is fallen Sydney but dw it doesn't change from faithful Sydney. Anyways, people typically pray with eyes closed so do they even know PC has this? ',:|

My immediate thought was they're actively fucking with someone and PC took a picture like "Yeah, that's mine. ♡⁠(⁠Ӧ⁠ｖ⁠Ӧ⁠｡⁠)"

Probably that one scene where they scar someone for life just for looking at you.

#degrees of lewdity #dol #alex the farmhand #dol alex #avery the businessperson #dol avery #black wolf the alpha #dol black wolf #eden the hunter #dol eden #great hawk the terror #dol great hawk #kylar the loner #dol kylar #robin the orphan #dol robin #sydney the faithful #sydney the fallen #dol sydney #whitney the bully #dol whitney #sneaky update #new update

[born-in-hell]

w all the "sinners" theme going on in the qsmp i wanted to summarize everyones sins pre-qsmp lore

Take this as an unofficial and incomplete guide to the qsmp chars past mistakes and wrongdoings. I will also dive on their personalities, since i dont think they'd change so much from pre-lore.

ill keep working on this and adding more info !!! if smth is wrong lmk plss

the colors signify the intensity and/or quantity of known sins.

things like "demon", "cryptid" and "grim reaper" are added here not bc i personally consider them bad, but bc the fed/ the eye might see them as issues.

· qbbh: grim reaper demon. caused a catastrophe when arrived that killed many people (some theorize it was atlantis). burned a childrens hospital once. did something in venice. trickster, liar. (as egglore is semi-canon u can count it in and say hes a former cult leader but eh). Besides his children, trusts no one. Sandwitches the truth between lies to a point no one can tell when hes lying or not. Intentionally acts suspicious, pushing friends and loved ones away. Tends to pull deathly and sometimes harmful pranks on others for fun. Tends to lie abt unserious things for his own amusement. I consider bbh a fox-like spirit.

· qcellbit: cannibal, torturer, murderer. mentor in the war was a demon. liar, manipulator. name originates from his time in prision, where he used a broken cellphone to frighten the other inmates. Kept his nature while in the island, it appearing more softly in the start (the Regret arc, where he falsely betrayed everyone to get intel on the fed), and fully unleashing when he learned the truth abt his past ─ killing the fed workers and threatning qPac ─ and in Purgatory.

· qmike: thief. stole from rich ppl in order to donate to orphanages w qpac. both betrayed qcellbit (formerly cell) when they escaped from prision, leaving him for dead. Not afraid to go against authority figures. Does everything to protect his family. Doesnt trust a lot of people. Stands his ground.

· qfit: 2b2t veteran. i dont need to say more.

· qroier: was obsessive over his last bf. made a cult in his name. tried to kill him ig.

· qmouse: demon & proud. excentric, likes death and blood. enjoys chaos and suffering.

· qfoolish: afaik we dont have much info on his past. Isnt afraid to do what he believes is necessary, even when it makes him a villain. Patient and cunning. Tends to tell the truth, despite not always saying his true intentions. Two-faced.

· qforever: was a corrupt politician. bf from outside the island is a vampire. possibly not a human, although nothing is truly confirmed. If unhuman, theories and hcs span from werewolf, to fae, to elf. His mistakes arise from being too good for his own good. When he became president, he declared he didnt want to be corrupt again, or become a dictator. Always tries to be as morally right as he can, even though it may push his friends away.

· qpac: thief. stole from rich ppl in order to donate to orphanages w qpac. both betrayed qcellbit (formerly cell) when they escaped from prision, leaving him for dead. Has abandonment and self-esteem issues.

· qphil: angel of death. married to lady death herself. If Antarctic Empire is confirmed cannon, hes also a world-conquerer and war criminal.

· qmissa: grim reaper (unconfirmed lore afaik). Naive and innocent. Has major self-esteem issues.

· qtina: demon. hides her identity for unclear resons.

· qjaiden: liar, manipulator. even tho, is a kind soul. fed experiment. besides this, not much info on her past.

· qslime: we dont have any info on his past. Has a weird toxic relationship w qmarianna. Certainly not one of the purest islanders.

·qmarianna: we dont have any info on his past. Has a weird toxic relationship w qsime. Certainly not one of the purest islanders.

· qaypierre: fed experiment (afaik; i guess). he has smth going on.

· qbagi: nothing particularly bad stands out abt her past.

· qbagh: besides being a fed experiment and an islander since was a child, nothing bad stands out abt her past and/or current actions.

· qtubbo: we dont have any info on his past. Naive and impulsive young adult.

· qfelps: he is a weird one. He doesnt have any sins in his past, as he was one of the "good guys". When he was a guard at Alcatraz, cellbit attacked him him. It is unknown if he survived the attack or came back to life.

· qetoiles: we dont have any info on his past. Is a noble warrior, and values fairness over anything.

· qantoine: we dont know. no one knows. is envolved w the feds and cucurucho. a type of cryptid or smth.

#qsmp #qsmp badboyhalo #qsmp bbh #qsmp forever #qsmp purgatory #qsmp baghera #qsmp cellbit #qsmp roier #qsmp tubbo #qsmp aypierre #qsmp bagi #qsmp foolish #qsmp fitmc #qsmp etoiles #qsmp antoine #im tired of tagging #qsmp tazercraft #qsmp jaiden #qsmp tinakitten #qsmp tina #qsmp philza #qsmp missa #qsmp slimecicle #qsmp elmariana #just realized basically everyone on this island is a liar and manipulates ppl to get what they want #god how are they all awfull ppl